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Holder urges approval of $15M for shooter training

Holder urges approval of $15M for shooter training

Attorney General Eric Holder testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on the oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder is urging Congress to approve $15 million for training law enforcement officers in handling shooting rampages.

Holder’s comments follow the recent shootings at a Jewish Community Center in Kansas and at Fort Hood, Texas.

In a video message posted on the Justice Department website Tuesday, the attorney general says training is critical since patrol officers who arrive first on the scene are increasingly being relied on to respond directly to shooters rather than waiting for SWAT teams.

The Justice Department and the FBI have provided this special training to 50,000 front-line officers in the past decade.